Unseen Hope
by Alyxx
Summary: Thirteen is having trouble dealing with her disease, House's constant Huntingtons jokes aren't helping, so he decides that maybe there is a way he can help!


"House, I'm dying, how can you make jokes about it?" Thirteen asked angrily one day after storming into his office, he had taken it too far this way.

"This profession forces us to accept the mortality of human beings, everybody dies, even you." House says while chucking his ball in the air.

"That doesn't make the fact that my life is going to be over any easier!" She yells at him attempting to hold back the tears.

"Come with me, there's someone you should meet." House claims exasperatedly. The two head off on his motor bike, Thirteen not exactly sure why she's going with him. After about half an hour they arrive at a small house with a white picket fence and a dog in the front yard who excitedly ran up to House the moment he saw him. "Hey Jimmy." House says patting the dog affectionately. Then a young girl about 14 comes running out of the house to House, no pun intended.

"DADDY!" She screamed as she ran across the yard and threw herself at House who just caught her and didn't fall over, he did however drop his cane.

"Hey Laura, how are you feeling?" House asked, after getting over the shock of the implications of this, Remy then ascertained that 'Laura' was sick from the way House asked how she was feeling.

"Better now that you are here! Who's your friend?" the girl asked suddenly sounding more grown up as she walked up to Remy. "Hi, I'm Laura House. You're Dr Remy Hadley I assume, or Thirteen as dad calls you. Feel free to hit him for that by the way." The girl introduced making Remy smirk.

"Hey!" House pouted from behind Laura.

"Just Remy's fine, what made you think I was me?" Remy asked.

"I picked up my dads deductive reasoning skills, also you are still wearing your ID badge from the hospital." Laura explained making Remy embarrassed and House smirk proudly.

"Laura, I was thinking you could talk to Thirteen and maybe help her out, she's going through what you are." House explained gently.

"You have Huntington's too?" Laura asked making Remy look at her shocked. A girl this young going through it all.

"Umm, yeah." Thirteen admitted.

"I'll leave you two alone." House said limping inside where Remy could see a women waiting by the door.

"That's my mother, she's who I inherited it from, she's forty-five and has never experienced any symptoms. I'm fourteen and a half and have been experiencing the symptoms for most of my life, that being about nine years. And no her and dad are not together, don't look shocked I knew you were wondering." Laura says as she leads Remy to a three person garden swing chair which she sits on, once Laura sat down Remy noticed that her left leg was jerking slightly but Laura seemed to pay no mind to it.

"How can you act so calm knowing you'll probably be dead before you turn thirty?" Thirteen asks realising that the girl before her can take and would probably appreciate bluntness.

"So you're recently diagnosed then?" Laura asks.

"Three days ago."

"You learn to accept this disease, I've been through hell my whole life and not just because of this sickness, even without it among my other medical issues I'm not expecting to make it to twenty-five. But despite that I have changed a lot of people's lives, made them happier and then left them to continue on. If I'm around when I die then they will grieve, so I make their life better before leaving. The affect your life has on the world has nothing to do with how much time you have on it, but how you use it. My mother wanted a miracle, a healthy baby, that's why my middle name is Valentine. Every day I fall down or jerk or am unable to speak she feels guilty, but then I get up and smile and remind her that I'm still here, and suddenly she's happy again. I'm gonna die but I will die with the knowledge that I have lived." Laura tells her.

"Your fourteen and on a death sentence, how can that not bother you?" Thirteen yelled angrily.

"I'm gonna did Remy. So are you!" Laura yelled, "Some people are forced to face and accept the mortality of human beings, for some people they think closing off and becoming my dad is the easiest way to deal with that, but I'd rather live for twenty-five years being happy while my body slowly stops working than live on the streets close to starvation for eighty years. I have been close to death many times for various reasons and yes, dying scares the shit out of me, to be lost in that darkness. But that only makes me happier to spend what time I have bathed in light!" Laura says forcefully.

"I can't accept that." Remy stated.

"We don't get a choice! Something happened once, I woke up and couldn't remember anything. I was terrified and in hospital, then my mum and dad came in and even without any memory of them I knew that I loved them and they love me, I knew I could trust them and that they were my parents even if I didn't really understand that concept. Some people are faced with so many things that even with so many around them they must stand and face alone, so many people's nightmares are my reality. I use to constantly feel sorry for myself, but I was in pain and scared and falling over when my left knee gave out or hitting people I walked past when my arm jerks. One day I realised that my life would never be easy, but at least I was there to live it, and so long as I remember that I am happy and that I can live with." Laura said crying but still smiling.

"I don't know how to do that." Remy admitted sadly while sinking into the chair next to Laura. The young girl grabbed Remy's hand.

"Look up Remy, look at the clouds covering the sky, the rain that's about to fall. Full cloud cover making everything dark. But when you think about it, even when we can't see it, the sun is still there shining down on us. Things may seem dark but remember, even when you can't see it there is still light and hope in your life simply because you are still alive, and until you flat line it will always be there." Laura said.

"Thank you Laura." Remy said smiling at the sky.

"You're ahh you're umm, uh I got this, welcome." Laura replied with a frustrating sigh before suddenly smiling. "Just when things start looking down again, there it is." She said pointing at the sky, a small bit of sunlight now visible in a small break of clouds.

Remy left that day scared and upset and feeling alone knowing she was going to die, but also recognising that she wasn't dead yet. She now knew she could still live.


End file.
